Baking Day Chicken
February 2, 2008 by top8free
Another recipe inspired by Lynne Rossetto Kasper, the queen of roasting. Despite the long-ish list of ingredients, this comes together quickly. It is visually stunning when served straight from the oven in its baking dish. The vegetables meld together during roasting to create a chunky, yet meltingly soft sauce that is wonderful served over rotini or fusilli.
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley (leaves only)
1 6-inch branch of fresh rosemary, needles removed from stem
8 large fresh sage leaves
8 large fresh basil leaves
1 leaf of fresh chard or kale, stem removed
8 large cloves garlic
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
few grinds of black pepper
3 bone-in chicken breasts, skin and fat removed
2 medium sweet red peppers
2 medium ripe tomatoes (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained)
1 cup safe chicken broth
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mince together the parsley, rosemary, sage, basil, garlic, and onion. Mix in the salt and olive oil. Rub mixture over the chicken breasts and place in a 9 x 13 or similar sized baking dish. Set aside.
Core and roughly chop the red peppers and tomatoes. Tuck them into the pan around the chicken pieces.
Roast for 30 minutes, then pour 1/2 cup broth into pan. Turn the chicken and stir the vegetables. Return to oven and roast for another 30 minutes. Turn chicken again, and spoon some of the vegetables onto them. Moisten vegetables with broth, adding only enough to prevent burning (about 1/4 inch in bottom of pan is enough). Roast for another 10 - 15 minutes, until chicken reads 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
Serve hot over brown rice pasta — preferably a type that has enough crannies to catch the rich sauce.
